


Tyrus: The Right Thing

by quafflewaffles



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Breaking Up & Making Up, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, let Buffy say fuck, let tj say fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 23:15:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20379739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quafflewaffles/pseuds/quafflewaffles
Summary: Andi and Buffy still don't trust T.J., even if he's Cyrus' boyfriend, and don't want Cyrus or themselves to be dragged into the trouble T.J. keeps finding himself in. So they give Cyrus an ultimatum: best friends or boyfriends. But did they judge T.J. too quickly? Did they really do 'the right thing'?I started writing this after season 3 episode 7, so consider this to be taking place without the canon since then. Enjoy!





	1. The Fight

Buffy was already at Andi’s house when Cyrus knocked on the door. Andi had barely swung the door open before Cyrus was walking in and started talking a mile a minute.

“What happened? Is one of you hurt? Sick? Moving? I can’t do that again.” Cyrus paced between Buffy on the couch and Andi at the door. “You can move in with my mom and step-dad or my dad and step-mom, there’s four sets of parents between us. And TJ’s got parents! I’m sure he’d he-“

“CYRUS!” The girls interrupted.

Cyrus stopped mid-pace. “Yeah?”

“None of that is going on!” Andi assured him.

Cyrus took a few breaths before sitting next to Buffy. “Well then what is this Good Hair Crew meeting for?? It sounded serious!”

Andi sat on Buffy's other side, faced Cyrus and mumbled, “Well...it’s like...um...you see the thing is-“ She made some vague gestures as she tried to start several sentences.

“It’s about TJ.” Buffy cut off Andi's leaky faucet attempts. “And the whole you-dating-him thing.” Andi nodded in agreement.

Cyrus stiffened, “What about me dating TJ?” They had started dating only a week prior. TJ had met Cyrus at his locker that morning and given him a chocolate muffin with red icing in the shape of a heart. The muffin-bearing boy asked Cyrus to be HIS muffin which made the poor boy blush brighter than the icing. He managed to squeak out, "YES" and kiss TJ's cheek (which made him match the icing and Cyrus). They didn't share any classes and Cyrus' friends had already made it clear they didn't like being around TJ. So Cyrus would eat lunch with the Good Hair Crew (and Jonah), then use the rest of lunch to cuddle with his boyfriend. They would meet up again after their respective extracurricular activities at the town park. Holding hands, kissing cheeks and forehead, Cyrus had been petting TJ's hair when Andi's text came through saying "GHC meeting at my place! ASAP". He'd felt bad about pushing TJ off his lap and nearly into the pond, but TJ understood once he saw the message and kissed Cyrus' cheek goodbye.

Now, Cyrus wished he'd put his phone on silent.

“Buffy and I are a bit concerned that you two are dating after everything with the gun. And bullying Buffy.” Andi explained calmly. “He just... doesn’t seem to be the best person or around the best people.”

Cyrus scoffed, “I told you! He was the one who reported everything to the police before I could. And Buffy, I thought you’d accepted his apology and saw how he’s not the same TJ who bullied you.”

“I thought he changed but clearly if he likes to hang out with people who play with guns, maybe I was,” Buffy paused then choked out, “wrong.”

Andi patted her back in faux sympathy and continued, “He doesn’t seem trustworthy and we don’t want you to get hurt because of him.”

“He wouldn’t hurt me.”

“But his decisions could! What if you’d gotten hurt when they had that gun? What if he does something that puts you in harm’s way again and you can’t get out that time?” Buffy rebutted.

“We just want to keep you safe. You’re our best friend.” Andi added.

Cyrus sighed. “I get that, I do. And I know you want to keep me safe but I know TJ really well too.”

Buffy threw back, “Do you though?”

“Better than you!”

Andi butted in, “How can we know him very well beyond how he treated Buffy? He never hangs out with us.”

"Not like he’s invited. And he’s said before that he knows when he’s not wanted. So he doesn’t see the point spending time with you two, who’ve made it quite clear you don’t like him.” There was an edge to Cyrus’ voice that surprised the girls.

Andi softened a bit, recognizing that he had a valid point. The girls never invited TJ to hang out and usually would leave when TJ approached the group. Buffy, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. “Not like he’s made himself want-able.”

“Not like you’ve given him a chance!”

“Okay!” Andi cut the bickering again. “Look, we just don’t think he’s the best guy for you and maybe...”

“Maybe you should end it with him. Before you get hurt.” Buffy finished for her. “And if you want to stay with him...”

Andi picked up from there, “Then we don’t want to be pulled into danger with you. We won’t be.”

Cyrus’ stomach sank. “Are you...making me choose...?”

“It’s us or TJ, Cyrus.” Buffy said as Andi nodded solemnly. They hoped that would make Cyrus see how serious they were. That he'd see sense if their friendship was at stake.

Her words were a dagger to his heart. Cyrus stood and slowly stumbled past the girls to the door. “I...I guess I need to think about some things.”

Andi went to follow him outside. “We care about you, Cyrus.”

The tears rolling down his face did little to soften Cyrus' cold response as he turned around to face her, “Yeah...but so does he. And he wouldn't make me choose.” He made his way out to the sidewalk and headed home.

Buffy went to watch him from the doorway with Andi. Andi whispered, “We did the right thing, didn’t we?”

“Yeah...I’m sure we did.” But Buffy didn’t sound sure at all.


	2. Lunchtime = Cuddletime

The following day at school, Cyrus wouldn't even look at his best friends. He felt hollowed out. He could feel tears forming every couple minutes and swiped them away before they could fall. At lunch, he skipped sitting at their usual lunch table and headed straight to TJ's table of one instead.

"Hey Muffin! What are you doing here so early? Did your guards give you extra boyfriend time for good behavior?" TJ teased gently. But as Cyrus got closer, TJ realized his boyfriend looked more like a kicked puppy than excited. Once Cyrus had set down his belongings, TJ wrapped an arm around him. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Hmenandibufgutinnafit" Cyrus mumbled into TJ's shoulder.

"I'm not fluent in mumble but I think you said that Andi, Buffy, and you had a fight? Did I get that right, babe?"

Cyrus nodded and grumbled, "Mhmm."

TJ wrapped his other arm around his boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Cy. What happened?" Cyrus just reached out of the hug for a cheese puff and shook his head. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Feed me cheese puffs until I combust?"

"I prefer my boyfriends intact, thanks," TJ chuckled, pulling a small smile out of the morose lump cuddled into him.

Cyrus sat up slightly and said, "They just…They just said some things and it was upsetting and I don't know how to make it better."

TJ didn't think much could come between such tightknit friends that couldn't be resolved. "Well, what did they say?"

Cyrus stiffened. He didn't want TJ to feel bad that the fight was about him. TJ still regretted being so awful to Buffy and that the girls openly disliked him over what happened with his now-former friends. He didn't need to feel guilty for possibly splitting the GHC. "I can't tell you. It's - uhhh - it's a secret."

TJ lifted an eyebrow in suspicion but replied, "Okay…I hope things get resolved soon then."

The two had spent so much of lunch talking they had to shovel their food before the bell rang. TJ kissed Cyrus' forehead, then they parted ways to finish the school day.

Later, after classes, TJ was walking home and saw Andi and Buffy not far ahead. He originally planned to keep his distance. He'd just head to the park and wait for Cyrus to get out of his club meeting. Didn't want to make anything worse between them and Cyrus. Except he caught snippets of their conversation. Clearly, they were talking about whatever happened and if Cyrus wouldn't tell him, maybe they would. As the girls turned in to The Spoon, TJ decided it was up to him to fix the issue.

He liked his boyfriends intact and his boyfriend-cuddles tearless.


	3. Mistakes Are Made

Andi and Buffy settled into their usual booth, leaving one side empty as if the available seat might summon Cyrus to them. The cosmos however, must have been run by a Loki-type prankster, because instead of their dear best friend, his not-so-dear-to-them boyfriend walked through the door. “Hey. I need to talk to you two.”

The girls exchanged concerned glances. “_Alright_, uhhh have a seat?” Andi offered.

“Thanks.” TJ slid into the unoccupied side of the booth. “I won’t be long. I know you'd rather I be as far as humanly possible."

"You're not wrong," Buffy muttered. Andi elbowed her and TJ decided to pretend he hadn't heard the remark. "So what do you _want_?"

"What was your fight with Cyrus about? He’s been really upset today but wouldn’t tell me what exactly happened.” When neither girl responded he leaned forward and added, "I want to try to help, honestly. You might not believe me but I'll always try to help him."

Andi shifted uncomfortably. “Well frankly…it was...about _you_.”

“And that we’d rather Cyrus date anyone else.” Buffy nodded towards the boy.

“I thought he already knew you two didn’t like me. Not like you’ve kept that a secret.” TJ felt even more confused. Why would something so well-known suddenly be a problem? "Did he say something in the heat of the moment? He gets really fired up when he thinks he needs to defend someone's honor. I'm sure he didn't mean it!" He smiled a little at the thought of his boyfriend being his tiny knight in shining armor.

Andi hesitated so Buffy explained, “We told him we were concerned that he’d get hurt being around you. That we don’t want to get pulled into whatever dangerous stuff you do.”

“...oh.” The pieces clicked for him. “So you told him he had to choose between you two and me.”

They nodded. TJ sat back again and the girls saw several emotions flash across his face. Briefly anger, then worry, and ultimately, resignation. Whatever was going through his head, didn't seem pleasant.

“Alright...I guess I know what to do then," TJ finally sighed. "Can you two be at the park in like half an hour?”

Both girls were taken aback by the request. “Uhhh _sure_?” Andi managed to reply.

TJ rolled his eyes. “Sounds _so_ convincing. I’m not trying anything just…_please_ be there.” There was urgency with an undertone of sadness in the way he said it. Like he was a dead man walking and asking for favors.

Buffy exchanged looks with Andi before nodding, "We'll be there."

TJ nodded back to her and slid out of the booth. He exited the restaurant and Andi could see him pulling out his phone from the window. She turned back to Buffy, "I…kinda feel bad for him. He seemed…_really_ hurt before he left."

Buffy shrugged but the nonchalance of it was forced. "He'll be fine. Like he said, he already knew we don't like him. Let's just get some fries and then head down to the park. We'll worry about it then."

They ordered and ate the fries but couldn't bring themselves to chat after the weird way TJ ended the conversation. After the fries were finished, the two walked to the park, trying to find the basketball player.

Andi looked to her left and her right. “Can you spot him?”

“Not ye- Oh! There he is, with Cyrus by the benches!” Buffy pointed toward said location, squinting at the figures.

“Wait why is Cyrus on the ground?” Andi could see Cyrus kneeling in the grass while TJ was standing in front of him.

Assuming the worst, Buffy said, “Did TJ _push_ him?! Hurry!”

They started to rush over but slowed down once they saw TJ headed their way, leaving Cyrus behind. His eyes seemed red and he whispered, “Go to him,” as he pushed between them.

The girls paused briefly to glance at each other after the interaction. Then, ran even faster to Cyrus.

“CRYUS! ARE YOU OKAY?!” Buffy shouted, her athletic legs getting her to him a bit quicker than Andi.

He didn't acknowledge Buffy's question until Andi reached them. He looked up at them, his eyes wide, watery. “TJ...TJ ju-just _broke up_ with me.”


	4. Everybody Hurts

Andi and Buffy pulled Cyrus onto the bench and sat him between them. Andi gently asked, "What did he say? Did he say _why_?"

Cyrus sniffled and stuttered, “He said…He- he said we shouldn’t s-see each other anymore. That we're too…too different. That’s all. Just we…we shouldn’t- couldn’t even- be _friends_ let alone boyfriends.” His face crumpled and he began quietly weeping. Buffy pulled him to her shoulder while Andi rubbed his back. "I guess you guys were right," he said, seeming to choke on the words.

Andi hesitated but then asked, "Right about what?"

"He was just gonna hurt me." Buffy pulled him in tighter and Andi wrapped herself around him from behind, the two of them hoping their bodies could shield him from the pain.

The three refused to disentangle themselves from the hug until Buffy's dad called asking where she was as it was nearly dinnertime. Andi had a bit more time before Bex or Bowie would worry so she offered to walk Cyrus home. Not a word passed between them until they got to Cyrus' door. "We'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Andi told him quietly. He nodded, attempted a watery smile, and went inside.

Her whole walk home, Andi tried to convince herself that the conversation at The Spoon and the break up were just coincidental but she doubted the two were unrelated.

When the trio went back to school the following day, they expected an awkward run-in with TJ but while they caught glimpses of him, he always seemed to spot one of them first and vacate the area. Buffy saw him walking in her direction between first and second period; he sprinted past her, using the sea of students to help avoid her. His lunch table was vacant. Andi typically passed by him between classes in the afternoon but he kept conveniently running into nearby bathrooms. Even a "Staff Only" one. TJ nearly ran into the whole group as everyone was leaving for the day but he did an about-face and went into the gymnasium instead. This pattern of spot-run continued the following day, Friday, and again the following week. In the few classes he shared with Buffy and Andi, he looked anywhere but at them.

By the time the next Monday rolled around, Andi was just about drowning in guilt and Buffy was barely staying afloat herself. Yet as awful as Andi and Buffy felt, they still felt somewhat justified in their point because they were right. TJ really hurt Cyrus once again.

Cyrus was still a wreck. TJ had been his boyfriend and one of his best friends. Now Cyrus couldn't be in his vicinity without tearing up. It was even worse than feeling so hollow after his fight with his friends. He'd been carved open and out and there was nothing left but a shell.

And TJ? TJ was absolutely miserable and exhausted. He muffled his sobs into his pillow until he passed out, only to have the break-up play in his dreams over and over. He hadn't eaten lunch, even at home. Made excuses so his Mom didn't worry. He couldn't stomach eating during what was once his Cyrus-time. He used to get muffins every morning at school. Post break-up breakfast? Dry toast and water. He didn't care about basketball or his job at the gym. It all reminded him of Cyrus.

Strangely, he found homework comforting. His math teacher questioned whether TJ had done the work himself but TJ's tutor assured him that she watched TJ do all of the problems himself, just asking for the numbers to be read aloud to him so he didn't mix them up. If his haggard appearance wasn't concerning enough, his suddenly intense attention in class and on assignments worried teachers more. Though he'd certainly improved in class since befriending Cyrus, he was never the most focused student. On the other hand, that same single-mindedness usually reserved for basketball was absent from the court.

At practice Monday afternoon, he was sitting in one of the shower stalls, waiting for everyone to leave, and could hear some of his team talking about him and the breakup.

Zeke was the first person he could hear clearly. “Dude, why did TJ even _do_ that? He’s been into Cyrus ever since…something with a…muffin? Like _months_ ago.”

“Something has to be going on," Heath added. "Teej isn’t the brightest but he’s not _that_ stupid. And he stopped being such a jerk after he met him. Thank fuck!”

"Yeah but Depressed TJ makes me miss Jerk TJ. He just lets balls hit him in the face."

"HA! BALLS!" Jake called out, other boys laughing at the inadvertent joke.

"Ha ha fuck you, I'm serious. I actually feel bad for him. Shit! We won't have Cyrus bringing team snacks anymore!” TJ had to chuckle a little at that. Zeke loved free food.

Jake cackled, "Oh how will you ever survive!" After ribbing Zeke a bit more, the team finally left and TJ stepped out of the stall to get dried and dressed. He thankfully had his clothes on when Buffy burst through the boy's locker room door, dragging Andi behind her.

Buffy let Andi go to push TJ into the lockers. “Why the _hell_ did you dump Cyrus?!”

“Nice to see you too.” The sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

The sass only further enraged her. “He _really_ likes you! No idea why anyone would, but he _does_! And you have the _nerve_ to dump him?! He's _miserable_!” She shoved him into the lockers again for emphasis.

TJ rested his head against the lockers, no fight in him, defeated. “I can never fucking do right by you two can I?”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Andi finally spoke up.

“You both thought I wasn’t enough for Cyrus. _Fine_, I already knew that. Anyone with _eyes_ could see that. But you specifically thought I’d hurt him if he stayed with me. And you know what?" TJ threw his hands up. "You’re right, I probably would! Because I ruin every fucking good thing in my life and he’s been-" He harshly reminded himself that Cyrus was not in fact in his life anymore. "He _was_ the best thing in my life. The best fucking thing." TJ shook his head. "And him being with me meant he couldn’t be with his two best friends. I might not understand numbers but I could still see that the _logical_ conclusion was to remove me from the equation. He wouldn’t get hurt, he’d have the two of you, and I could stick to ruining _my_ life instead of _his_. But apparently that’s _not fucking enough_ for you! I’m damned if I’m with him, damned if I’m not but I guess at least I won’t _bring him down with me_, as you so eloquently put it.”

Buffy was suddenly sheepish and back away from TJ. "We never said that exactly…"

"I know that's what you think about me." He tried to hide the tremor in his voice with a cough but the girls caught it anyways. They hated seeing what their actions had done to Cyrus but they hadn't considered how TJ felt. For once, the girls were really looking at him. The dark circles under his reddened eyes, his shaking hands, his lips quivering like he could start crying at any second. He was clearly just as, if not more miserable than Cyrus. Like he'd regretted every decision that led to that moment. Before either of them could reply, TJ gathered his things, left the locker room, and just about ran outside.

Buffy eventually turned to Andi, "I think…we messed up…_majorly_."


	5. It's Not Too Late To Apologize

The girls decided to follow TJ home and start fixing the situation from there. He'd beaten them there by only a few minutes but the girls were surprised when a pretty, blonde woman opened the door. “Oh hello? Who are you?”

“We’re uhh…friends of TJ’s.” Buffy was an athlete, not an actress, but it was enough to convince the woman.

“Oh! Well come in! I suppose you two are here to cheer him up? He’s been in tears since he got home. Not that that's unusual this week. I'm Mrs. Kippen by the way! And you are?”

"I'm Andi and this is Buffy."

"Oh my gosh so you're Cyrus' crafty friend and you're his basketball friend! TJ's told me all about you two, how you-" Mrs. Kippen pointed to Buffy, "- introduced Cyrus to him and how you-" she pointed to Andi, "- made the friendship bracelet that TJ thought looked adorable on that boy!"

The girls in question were again taken aback by this sensitive side TJ seemed to have, especially toward Cyrus. It only reaffirmed that they'd indeed, majorly messed up.

"Where might we find TJ, Mrs. Kippen?" Buffy asked.

"RIGHT! He's in his room, upstairs, second door to the left, you can't miss the rainbow flag!"

Buffy and Andi had expected his door would have been decorated with basketball stuff but it seemed the afternoon would just be full of TJ surprising them. They followed Mrs. Kippen's directions and like she said, the rainbow flag was hard to miss. Andi knocked gently to no reply. She knocked a bit louder and could faintly hear TJ say, "Go away, Mom!" So Buffy repeatedly, loudly knocked on the door until TJ opened it and she accidently punched him in the chest.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK?! I mean-HECK!" TJ retreated back into his room, allowing the girls space to step in.

Mrs. Kippen called from downstairs, "I still heard that! 50 cents in the Swear Jar!"

TJ crawled onto his bed in a nest of blankets he'd clearly been in before he answered the door. "Well you've snuck into my house, punched me, and made me owe my mom 50 cents. Oh and made me lose my favorite person in the world! What do you want now? Are you here to kill my kitten or something??" He picked up the white fluffball in question and whispered, "They'll never touch you Olaf."

Andi failed to suppress a giggle, "Olaf?"

TJ blushed and replied, "He seemed like he was worth melting for." He cleared his throat. "For real, what do you want now? You got what you wanted, can't you let a guy wallow in peace?"

Andi sat next to TJ on the bed and though he flinched slightly at the touch, she gently gripped his shoulder. "We're actually here to apologize."

"…what?" This seemed completely out of left field for TJ. "Why?"

"We realized we may have…misjudged you." Though Buffy hated to say it, she continued, "That we were wrong to break up the two of you."

He was more shocked to hear those words from Buffy than she was shocked to say them. He looked back and forth, waiting for someone to yell "PRANK" or "JUST KIDDING, STILL THINK YOU SUCK". But Andi said, "We're so sorry."

"Really, really sorry," Buffy added.

Andi nodded. "We want to make this right."

TJ shook off Andi's hand and snuggled into his nest with Olaf clutched to his chest. "How the f-heck can you make this right? Cyrus deserves way better. He'd never want me back. He's probably already moved on."

Buffy rolled her eyes before whipping her phone out. "Yeah. Sure. Tell me, does this seem like someone who's moved on?" She read aloud every message Cyrus had sent to the GHC group chat since the breakup. Every crying emoji, every I miss him and Why just why, until TJ begged her to stop.

"Okay! Okay, I get it! But what does it even matter? He'll never forgive me."

Buffy rebutted, "Just tell him what happened. How you thought he should have picked us over you. He'll understand."

TJ shook his head in disagreement and sighed, "He'll just be mad at you two AND me. And it'll be my fault. Again."

Andi grabbed a nearby pillow and whacked him with it. "You know Cyrus better than that. But since you're so worried about it, we'll be right with you. Alright?"

"You seem to be his favorite person, aside from Andi and I. It'll be okay," Buffy added.

He didn't say anything for a moment, petting Olaf in thought. "Fine but how will you get us in the same place?"

"You do realize you’re the one who keeps running off, right?" Buffy snorted.

Andi rolled her eyes but continued, "Cyrus is busy tonight -"

"All-Parents-Dinner Day, yeah?" TJ interrupted. The girls raised their eyebrows at him. "What? I know my Muffin."

Andi giggled at the nickname, "You're so into him, how did we ever doubt you with him? Anyways, yes, so we can't ambush right now. Buffy and I need to let our parents know where we are but then the three of us can make a plan to get you two back together."

The Driscolls were confused at first as to why Buffy was anywhere near her former bully but both sets of parents found their daughters' intentions sweet. They even gave the young teens an extra half hour to plan past curfew before Bowie picked them up. TJ explained everything to his parents when asked why they had two extra guests and neither was the boyfriend he'd been gushing about not long ago. Mr. Kippen looked ready to tackle Andi and Buffy for making his son so upset but TJ quickly told him that they were making up for their mistakes. And so, the older Kippens contributed their suggestions (as well as a little cash) to help TJ win his boyfriend back over.

Once Bowie arrived, Andi and Buffy enveloped TJ in a group hug, much to his surprise.

"Wh-?"

Andi smiled at him, "Like Buffy said, we seriously misjudged you and should've believed Cyrus' instincts. You're not the person we thought you were. You're really funny and nice and care about him a lot."

"Plus, you and Cyrus will be back together very soon," TJ blushed and grinned at Buffy's mention of his once and future boyfriend. "So, we hope that the three of us can become friends not just for Cyrus' sake but because you really are a good person."

TJ started sobbing again like he had been a couple hours prior. With all of the emotional upheaval of the day, of the last couple weeks, the compliment from two people he thought hated him threw him off the most. Andi pulled him and Buffy back into the hug, the girls crying softly with him. They gave him some more words of encouragement and patted his back before heading home.

Curled back in his nest with Olaf, TJ still felt the anxiety and despair he'd been consumed with since the break-up. Yet there was finally something else breaking through his angst.

Hope.


	6. Happy Days Are Here Again

Tuesday mornings are undoubtedly better Monday mornings but TJ rose this particular Tuesday with more cheer than he had in a while. He even put jelly on his toast and hugged his parents before sprinting to the school. The school had just been unlocked when he arrived so he ran straight to the cafeteria. Much like he had a few weeks prior he requested a red icing heart on a chocolate muffin. The cafeteria lady, who prided herself on being in the know of the students' social lives, frowned at first.

"Is this for a new beau, Mr. Kippen?" She'd had a soft spot for TJ after watching him buy muffins for Cyrus for months. Long before TJ had shyly first requested an icing heart the first time. Like many others, she did not expect those two to break up. It was odd that TJ would be buying a muffin for anyone else with how smitten he seemed to be with the smaller boy, even after the break-up. "Or are you perhaps trying to win a certain Cyrus Goodman over again?"

TJ blushed and shyly muttered with a smile, "The second, hopefully?"

The woman smiled, relieved. As she went about fulfilling his request, TJ explained the whole situation. Her heart broke for the young teen. As she handed him the muffin, she patted his shoulder. "Go get your man, sweetie."

TJ blushed again, smiled back, nodding, "That's the plan." He went to pull the money his parents gave him out but she shook her head.

"Consider this one on me. Go!"

He beamed and thanked her for her kindness before heading towards Cyrus' locker. There was a large potted plant down the hall that TJ hid behind to wait for the signal from Andi and Buffy.

He stood there for a few minutes, trying to calm his racing heart. Terrified that all of it was just a long prank on him, he formed a group chat to ask how far the girls were from the rendezvous point.

TJ: it's TJ. almost here? got muffin but no Muffin.

TJ: still need Muffin

He hoped it didn't come off as desperate as he felt.

Buffy: Andi, you owe me five bucks (money emoji) I told you he'd message us before we even left our houses lol

Andi: Dang it

Andi: And 15 minutes TJ

He knew he shouldn't have arrived so early.

TJ: ok

TJ: and you're not messing with me??

Andi: I swear on the Andi Shack we are not messing with you.

Andi: We want to be your friends

TJ: my friends have been pretty shitty

TJ: like you guys said

TJ: except Cy

Andi: Well good friends don't mess with each other like that

Andi: Good friends make up for their mistakes

Andi: Good friends help get boyfriends back

Andi: Good friends feel really REALLY bad for being mean to someone who didn't deserve it

Buffy: Recent events aside we tryyy to be good friends

TJ breathed a sigh of relief but still anxious he replied.

TJ: and you really think Cy will take me back?

Andi: ABSOLUTELY!!! (big smile emoji)

Buffy: Yes dumbass, I'll wrestle him to you

TJ turned beat red and snorted at their enthusiasm. And obviously at the image of Cyrus in a chokehold forced into TJ's arms. At this point, he'd do most anything to have Cyrus there.

TJ: think y'all are making me believe that

Buffy: I'm sorry, y'all??

TJ: y'ain't the boss of me

Buffy: No, that's Cyrus

Andi: Or should we say Muffin?? Lol

TJ: never should've told y'all that

Andi: Anyyyyyways, we have Cyrus with us so gtg!

Andi: But it'll all be okay

Buffy: Yeah dude, chill

Andi: Well he can't chill for long lol

Andi: Be there soon!!!

"Shit," TJ whipped his head up from the conversation, looking for a sign of their arrival. Sure enough, the GHC was walking through the hall to Cyrus' locker as discussed the night before. TJ got a good look at Cyrus for the first time since the park and his heart broke all over again. The dark circles, the unhealthily hollow cheeks. His eyes normally sparkled for miles but from the distance, TJ could still tell they were dimmed. Cyrus looked just as wrecked as TJ.

TJ swiped tears from his eyes as quickly as he could, not wanting to miss a signal from the girls. He could see everyone's faces, just how they'd planned the previous night. Cyrus leaned against his locker, Andi directly in front of him, Buffy to his side. Though Cyrus obviously didn't know, Buffy was positioned just in case Cyrus tried to flee the scene when TJ approached. Andi was supposed to send a signal to him when he should walk over.

After a few moments, his phone vibrated with a text notification. He missed Andi waving her hand subtly in his direction at the distraction. When she didn't hear him approach, she waved with a little more enthusiasm. TJ missed it again to reply to his mom that the plan was still in progress. Buffy, not one for handling things delicately, decided a visual signal was not working and shouted, "Hey!" to catch his attention. He looked up to see Andi's waving had gone wild and briskly headed their way, muffin behind his back.

The combination of Buffy's shout and the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps startled Cyrus for a moment before he recognized those footsteps. He knew only one pair of sneakers squeaked like that. With dread, he turned slightly to confirm that it was indeed TJ.

As TJ expected, Cyrus immediately attempted to run off but Buffy stood in his way. He struggled to push past her but Buffy easily turned him around to face TJ.

"Cyrus, listen to him," Buffy told her captive.

"No! He made his feelings of me VERY clear!"

Andi and Buffy looked at TJ, before Andi replied. "No, Cyrus. He lied. He didn't mean any of that."

Cyrus stopped struggling in confusion. "What? But he s-"

"I didn't want you to be upset," TJ finally chimed in.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow at him. "You didn't want me to be upset…so you broke up with me and said we couldn't even be friends?? What a flawless plan!"

"He didn't want you upset because of Andi and I." TJ could see the same shame on Buffy's face that she had at his house.

"What are you talking about?" Cyrus looked between Andi and Buffy. Quieter he continued, "I didn't tell him what you said."

"He ran into us at The Spoon before he met you at the park. He wanted to know what our fight was about…so we told him." Andi's own shame was clear in her voice.

Cyrus' eyes widened, then soon narrowed as he looked between his best friends. "Did you te-"

Once again TJ interrupted Cyrus, correctly predicting his train of thought. "They didn't tell me to break up with you. I chose to do that."

"Why then? Why the HELL would you do that?" Cyrus was just more confused by the minute.

"Because I didn't want to make you choose." TJ shifted his gaze from Cyrus to the ground briefly before returning the boy's stare again. "They're your best friends and they weren't going to hang out with you if I was in the picture. So you'd either stay with me but you'd miss them. Or you'd realize I wasn't worth losing your friends but you'd feel really bad about it." TJ shrugged." I didn't want to put you through that."

The girls had already heard this the night before but they teared up right alongside Cyrus. Buffy whispered, "If I let you go now, will you stay?"

Cyrus nodded and Buffy released him, shaking the tension out of her arms before she and Andi wrapped Cyrus in a looser hug. "We are so sorry for causing all this drama Cyrus," Andi started. "We talked to TJ about everything last night and we seriously misjudged him."

Buffy snorted, "He has a fluffy kitten for fuck's sake. No one who cuddles kittens is that bad."

Cyrus giggled slightly, some tears escaping his eyes. Andi and Buffy smiled at each other then nodded at TJ. This time he caught the signal and brought his hands from behind his back to present the muffin to Cyrus. "So, now that we've cleared all that up, would you take me back?"

Cyrus looked to Andi and Buffy, "Do I have your approval this time?"

They smiled at him and Buffy replied, "You should've had it the first time but yes."

Cyrus stepped out of their hold to grab the muffin, tears flowing freely. "You even got the heart again."

"Well you never let go of mine but I figured you should have the reminder." Andi and Buffy dramatically acted as if they were swooning but Cyrus was actually moved by his words. He took the muffin from TJ's hands and deposited it in Andi's as TJ watched him warily.

A deep breath was the only warning TJ got before he had an armful of Cyrus. The shorter boy had leaped into TJ, wrapping his arms around his once-again boyfriend's neck and legs around his waist. The athlete easily held Cyrus, burying his face into his neck. Relief swept through him. Cyrus pulled his head back slightly, gently tugging TJ to look at him. He cupped TJ's face then kissed him, on the lips, for the first time. TJ nearly lost his grip on Cyrus's thighs before pressing back into the kiss and holding on tighter. Cyrus soon broke the kiss for air, TJ's mouth chasing after his. He let TJ pull him back in for a bit before breaking it again with a grin. Cyrus giggled when he opened his eyes to see TJ's dreamy expression. He couldn't help but peck his nose at the adorable look. They would have stayed holding each other for far longer but their classmates were starting to stare.

Well…Cyrus would've allowed TJ to keep holding him up if it weren't for the stares. TJ was so happy he didn't give a damn about the staring. The cooing on the other hand made him blush slightly.

Cyrus did allow TJ to keep hugging Cyrus to his chest, tucked under his chin once he was put down. Andi and Buffy helpfully shooed away onlookers to keep them from interrupting the moment. Although those in the crowd seemed thrilled at the display of affection, especially the basketball team, the boys didn't need an audience.

After most of the young teens had dispersed, Cyrus looked up at TJ. "You are never allowed to break up with me again."

"So you have to break up with me then?" TJ grinned at him hesitantly.

"Yes…Except I don't want to break up with you."

"So kill me or marry me then?" TJ's hesitant grin morphed into a smirk. "Alright. Either way I spend the rest of my life with you, win-win for me really!" Cyrus turned beet red, burying his face into TJ's chest again.

A few weeks ago Andi and Buffy would've gagged at the sappiness but now they just giggled and rolled their eyes with fondness. Unheard by the lovebirds, who planned to hug until the bell rang, Andi whispered to Buffy, "This time, we definitely did the right thing."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been a fanfic reader since about 2004 but this is the first one I've actually written/posted! My sister and I love the wholesomeness of this show and we are so excited that Disney is becoming more diverse/accepting. She and I were discussing theories we had for the future of the show after episode season 3 episode 7 when the idea behind this fanfic came about. It's taken months for me to write and finally post this due to my anxiety and chronic illness. I'm open to constructive criticism but, as stated, I deal with very high anxiety so please be kind in how you word things <3 I hope you enjoy!


End file.
